Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-12-01
A MORSE WAR-SHIP.

Although Built q Thousand Years Ago It
Resembles Modern Vessels.
No object SO thoroughly fascinated
me in visit to Norway and Sweden
during the summer of 1882 as the
splendid example of ancient shipping
discovered shortly before at Gokstad,
on one of the pcninsulas of Southern
Norway.
The length from stem to stern over
all is IS feet, the keel alone measuring
66 feet. The breadth of beam is 164
feet and the depth about feet. Oak
alone was used in the construction,
the body being implanted, while the
stem and stern-posts were decorated.
The planks were laid on over the frame
timbers in our lapstreak style, each
overlapping the one below it, and
were fastened together with iron bolts
riveted and clinched upon the inside
''clinkor-built," as we now call it.
The planking was dashed to the frames
by means of projections. with wicker
like cords, or withes, madc from the
roots of trees; and the seams were
calked with hair of cattle spun into
cord of three strands, and this was
not driven into the crevices, bus laid
in when the planking was put to-
gether.
From this method of constr uction,
as we'll as from the character OF the
relics found and the use of the vessel
as means of sopulturc, Mr.. Nicolay-
sen infers that it was built during tho
later iron age or between A. d. 700
and 1000. (The early iron age CON-
prises the first seven centuries after
the Christian era.) Th- decora;io of
the trimmings on the Prov, gunwale
and stcrn-post, the numerous cary
ing, both upon the ship and the rel
les, together with the handy use of
colors. exhibit a very strong influence
from Irish decorative art For in her
palmy days, before the beginning of
the eighth century, Ireland outsIripped
every other country of Europe in min
iature painting and the ornamental
ton of metal and wood. This consid-
Grafton fixes the date of construction
subsequent to A. D. 700.
Its great sharpness of build and fine
sheer gave to it a model which does
not suffer in comparison with that of
tho Galatea or the best of the yachts
used on the En- glish coast for sailing
in deep waters. 1t had the advantage,
however, of fattened bottom amid
ships, which must have secured to it
much greater steadiness than the En-
glish cutters; something, in fact, be-
tween the cutter and the fiat, keelless
boat of the center -btard type-sug-
costing at once the model of Mr.. Bur-
CESS latest design, the Volunteer. The
peculiar method of attaching the rud-
der to the side of the stern afforded
manifest advantages for shipping and
unshipping, but did not admit of as
prompt an effect as does the adjust
ment of the modern rudder. From the
height of the portfolios cut in the sides
to receive the oars it is certain that
the oarsmen rowed in sitting post
ure, as we see them on the Bayeux
tapestry and on the Haggeby stone in
Sweden. The merchant vessels were
not fitted with portfolios for oars and
had no flooring on the beams, so that
the Gokstad vessel could only have
been a war-ship, especially as she was
fitted for sailing also, and carried at
least three small boats, indicating a
large crew. Besides, trader would
never have been thought of for burial.
1t was. without doubt, then. Individual
belonging to some prominent
and must have carried from
seventy to eighty men. for the frag-
ments indicate that there were thirty
two shields and sixteen pairs of oars.
and as two men were necessary to ham
die one oar of this size the rowers alone /
must have been sixty-four in number.
Magazsne.